STATEMENTBYTHE HONOURABLE LAURIE CHAN MINISTER
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
AT THEFIFTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE UNITED
NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Wednesday 1st October 2003

Mr. President,

Please accept the warm wishes of the Government
and people of Solomon Islands on your election as President of the 58
`h Session of the United Nations General Assembly. I also offer gratitude
to your predecessor for presiding over the last Session.

And to the Secretary General, we salute you
for your bold leadership of our Organization. Through you, Solomon Islands
wishes to pay tribute to the members of the UN Staff and others who lost
their lives during the senseless attack on the UN Office in Baghdad last
August and the recent incident few days ago.

Mr. President,

Fifty-eight years ago, the United Nations
was founded, among others, to guarantee freedom, peace and security and
to promote economic and social advancement to all peoples. Over the years,
many threats to international peace and security have been receded or
resolved. The cold war has ended. Security and arms control regimes were
in place. Institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF and others were
established to address the economic and social dimensions of humankind's
needs.

In spite of these significant achievements.
peace and security and our quest for sustained economic and social developments
remain the main challenges of our time. New and complex threats to international
peace and security have emerged at alarming and global scales during the
past decades.

Mr. President,

International terrorism continues unabated
in different parts of the world, targeting and killing mainly innocent
and vulnerable civilian population. There can be no other options but
for the international community to redouble efforts to fight this evil
menace at all fronts. Solomon Islands remains committed to its obligations
under UN Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001). Steps are being taken
to enact relevant legislations and to accede to international conventions
to counter terrorist activities.

Solomon Islands believes that lasting settlement
of the crises in the Middle East will have positive effects on global
peace and security. We therefore support the efforts to bring lasting
peace and stability to the region, especially the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and the situation in Iraq. The United Nations must play a crucial
role in the Middle East peace process.

Mr. President,

The primary responsibility of addressing
the daunting challenges we face today lie with individual countries. However,
history proves that much more could be effectively achieved. through multilateralism.
We all agree that this era of globalization brings new global challenges.
And global challenges require co-operative global solutions. The United
Nations as the leading and legitimate multilateral institution must take
equal responsibility to address the global challenges we now face. The
United Nations therefore must be strengthened.

That is why Solomon Islands supports the
Secretary General's ongoing reform of the United Nations system as a process
- not an event. Yes, the reform process has achieved positive results
and greater transparency. But we need to do more if our Organization were
to remain effective and relevant to the changing political environment.
A reformed and restructured Security Council is also necessary. Japan,
Germany and others deserve permanent membership in the Council. They are
equally capable of contributing constructively to achieving and maintaining
international peace and security. The use of "veto power" by
the permanent members should be restricted to the provisions of Chapter
VII of the UN Charter.

Mr. President,

Restoring law and order, economic recovery
and simply, bringing normalcy to Solomon Islands have been extremely difficult
challenges that my Government faced when we took Office in December of
2001. But having made the commitment to address these challenges through
the Government's Strategic Plan and Priorities, we engaged ourselves in
a series of dialogues and consultations with our development partners.
Our intentions were clear. We want outside assistance to restore law and
order and economic recovery.

Last July, with unanimous bi-partisan support,
the National Parliament of Solomon Islands adopted an enabling legislation
that authorizes outside assistance to restore law and to recover the economy.
Following an explicit invitation by the Government, the Regional Assistance
Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) led by Australia, was assembled and
deployed under the auspices of the Pacific Islands Forum's Biketawa Declaration
and within the terms of the United Nations Charter.

I am pleased to inform that the immediate
impacts of RAMSI have been significant and positive. Security in terms
of law and order has been re-established and the Government's finances
are beginning to stabilize. The course of action through RAMSI is the
best option we took. It is a unique regional co-operative and partnership
arrangement that is not merely limited to reestablishing and maintaining
peace and security. It accords Solomon Islanders the best real opportunity
to rebuild the Country and address the deep rooted problems we have for
years, including fighting corruption, restoring the principles of democracy,
good governance, respect for fundamental human values and rejuvenating
the social cohesiveness of our people.

RAMSI's work ahead will be challenging. But
we assure RAMSI of every support and cooperation. The Government and the
people of Solomon Islands are equally committed to achieving this common
objective.

We deeply appreciate the overwhelming support
of the Pacific Forum Islands countries, expressed through the Forum Declaration
on Solomon Islands, the Forum Foreign Affairs Ministerial Statement and
for actively contributing as Participating Countries in the Regional Assistance
Mission to Solomon Islands. These countries are committed in their resolve
to help a neighbor recover and rebuild. For this, I say 'Tagio tumas for
"helpem fren " blong iufala'.

We also appreciate the support RAMSI has
received from the wider international community - the Commonwealth, the
United Nations, the European Union and our individual bilateral donor
partners. We look forward to more active support to complement the important
work RAMSI is doing in addressing the immediate and long-term objectives
and plans.

The Government's National Economic Recovery
and Development Plan 2003 -2005 will be formally presented to our development
partners, in November. Our immediate objectives are to:

i. Restore and maintain law and order
ii. Bring about macroeconomic stability and income growth
iii. Restore full services in health and education
iv. Re-establish the foundation for sustained economic growth and human
development.

While the immediate security and economic
situation of the Country are being addressed by RAMSI, the planned November
Meeting will provide the opportunity for the rest of our development partners
to define their respective roles and assistance towards achieving these
key objectives.

Mr. President,

As a least developed and island state, our
economic, social and environmental vulnerabilities are major constraints
to achieving sustainable economic growth and livelihoods. But we put our
hope on greater international support and partnership to address these
constraints in order to meaningfully and successfully implement our national
development plans and such key policy outcomes as the 2000 Millennium
Development Goals. the WSSD Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and other
programs within the development agenda of the United Nations

Implementation of the 2000 Millennium Development
Goals has been slow, however, we have now incorporated its objectives
into the Government's Economic Recovery and Development Plan 2003 - 2005,
as priorities for national implementation.

Solomon Islands looks forward to participate
fully in the review process of the Barbados Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. We envisaged
the outcome of the 2004 international meeting in Mauritius to be one that
will focus on real commitments and practical implementations of the Program
at the national and regional levels.

The Brussels Programme of Action for the
Least Developed Countries provides yet another opportunity and dimension
to addressing the pressing problems facing poor countries. Yes, implementations
of this Program at the national level have been slow. But real commitments
from the international community to address our constraints, including
capacity and indebtedness, have not been forthcoming as well. We commend
the work of the High Representative of the Office of the LDCs in seeking
international support and commitment to implement the Program. We further
call on the international community to seriously consider more resolute
measures such as cancellation of debts to assist highly indebted poor
countries.

As member of WTO, Solomon Islands is equally
concerned that the Cancun Meeting failed to yield positive results. Like
other least developed countries, we have a key interest in the development
dimension of the Doha Round. And we wish to re-echo what we stated in
Cancun that a new, equitable and fair trading system must take into account
issues such as difference in income, economic size, technological development
and private sector capacities of countries among others.

Mr. President,

Solomon Islands attaches great importance
to regional co-operation. The Communiqué of the Leaders of Pacific
Islands Forum last August, which has been availed as an official document
of the 58`h session of the UN General Assembly, reflects the range of
issues that directly concern us in the Pacific region. Climate change
and sea-level rise, fisheries and protection of our marine environment,
trade, sustainable development and security related issues are among them.
As small states with inherent geographical and structural disadvantages,
our strength lies in pooling our resources to collectively address these
issues. We call upon the UN to take more active support in our regional
initiatives.

Mr. President,

Allow me at this juncture to express once
more, Solomon Islands strong support for Taiwan to be admitted as a full
member of the United Nations. It is undeniable fact that under international
law, Taiwan is a sovereign state. It has a transparent and democratic
political system, a vibrant and progressive economy and a highly efficient
social system - all of which are completely independent and with no control
whatsoever, from the Peoples Republic of China.

Taiwan is a willing and able partner to meet
its international obligations under the Charter. Its contribution to the
international community and the global economy are well known. Yet only
a fortnight ago, this august body once again, denied the wishes of the
people of Taiwan to be considered for membership in the United Nations.
Over the years, the international community has discriminated against
its 23 million people. The delayed WHO assistance to Taiwan during the
outbreak of SARS early this year is an example, and of how reasons of
power politics prevail over timely humanitarian assistance.

Mr. President,

I alluded earlier, that the United Nations
must remain relevant to the changing political environment. It must live
up to its fundamental values and principles enshrined in the Charter.
It must remain a universal and all-inclusive Organization, capable of
serving all its members, however big or small, however powerful or weak
and whatever creed, religious and political belief or principle a member
has. Every country must be treated with equal respect and attention. The
United Nations must equally live up to its principle of equality of all
nations, in this new millennium